Uncommon Knowledge: Who saved the black terrapin from extinction?

The bad news is that no one saved this species of turtle from extinction. In the 1980s, researchers scoured the island of Seychelles, off the eastern coast of Africa, and could find not one of the Pelusios seychellensis, first identified by August Brauer 100 years earlier. The good news is that the turtle wasn’t saved because it simply never existed. The specimen Brauer collected was actually a Pelusios castaneus, which is still commonly found on Africa’s western coast. Evidence indicates that Brauer purchased his turtles, rather than catching them in the wild, and it’s unknown whether they had been transported before their sale, or if Brauer simply mislabeled them. Either way, it’s a rare case of an animal being taken off the extinction list because it no longer exists.

Nathan is a copywriter, who helps create our product descriptions as well as our weekly emails. He is also a nationally award-winning musical theater writer, whose work includes an adaptation of Lois Lowry’s novel The Giver. Nathan has also been a classical violinist, tutored Kazakhstani jewelers in entrepreneurship, created large-scale games played across entire city blocks, served as a missionary in South Korea, conducted experiments in sonoluminescence, co-founded an exotic fruit-growing business, was a theater critic for Tucson Weekly, and as a teenager composed a women’s jazz quartet that is currently performed around the world.

Hooray for Math! Planning the Perfect Pi Day Party
Whether you flew through calculus or crawled your way through freshman year algebra, a party with pie is something everyone can get behind. Pi Day, a nerdtastic celebration of all things pi and pie, is approaching. Celebrate 3.1415... on 3/14/15 with these Pi Party pointers!

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Abi Treut
Ever wonder who sends the emails you get from UncommonGoods? Meet Abi from our Marketing team! (She also sends positive vibes while spreading "abbreves" and making walking in heels look easy.)

Gift Lab: Build Your Own Brooklyn
SEO Coordinator Rocky constructs a bit of the Brooklyn skyline in a corner of our office and makes some pretty entertaining videos while he's at it. It’s a good thing the iconic objects he’s crafting from our DIY kits are seriously scaled-down!

Instagram Challenge: FURRY FRIENDS
We're excited to bring back our most adorable challenge yet! Whether it's the dog that's been keeping you cozy all winter, or the cat that's already taken over your Instagram feed, we want to see your cutest non-human friends. While sharing your best shots, be sure to use the hashtag #UGInstafun for a chance to win a $50 gift card.